Gigs this weekend

Unfortunately both these gigs are on the same night, this Saturday 1 March.

The VeeBees were originally playing at The Phoenix but due to the fire in the Sydney Building, the gig has been moved to Magpies in the City. Support comes from Canberran band Bacon Cakes (mmmmm...bacon) and Wollongong band Cape Tribulation. $10.

The show at the Basement is young Duncan's 40th celebration, with Dead Life from Sydney, New Blood from Wollongong, and locals Inhuman Remnants, Wretch and Psynonemous - all for $10!

Video of the Week
Cosmic Psychos - Blokes You Can Trust (DVD)
Thank you to DD for lending me this DVD - bloody brilliant. Stupidly, I have never really checked out these legends before, but after watching this DVD I'm converted. Thoroughly entertaining watch. Check out the trailer here and a snippet from the film here.

Unkle K

Grey Widow - I

In the last days of the Earth, when the land, the sea and the putrid decay they conceal are immolated by the expanding sun’s infernal heat; when the last remaining humans suffer frantically among the searing white ash, choking on the stench of burning death and screaming the abhorrent fear that leaves behind only the now futile instinct to procreate, and they claw desperately and indiscriminately at each other's blistered, melting flesh; this music will be the sound of the world’s violent, rotten shame tormenting itself into eternal, abysmal darkness.

The disgustingly bleak, misanthropic, noise-encrusted sludge that Grey Widow have recorded on I is not for the faint of heart. The torrential abuse contained within these eight tracks carries an overpowering sense of unease and dread, and the ambiguity created by the lack of song titles only aggravates the cruelty.

The same kind of shitty feeling you get from listening to too much Grief lingers in the wake of I. Electric Wizard inspired riffs buried under six feet of mud and scraping, nihilistic distortion in the vein of Corrupted serve to relentlessly compound the horror. Grey Widow do break up the demeaning drag in places, but with unhinged forays into wet, sloppy grind (as in “IV”) and bollocking Iron Monkey type groove (as in “III”), it’s never a picnic.

One of the things that really stands out is how disorienting the music can be, not least because the three band members who contribute vocals adopt enough different styles to make it sound like hordes of tortured voices are calling you from the void, trying to tempt your sick curiosity and lure you into the depths of madness. Just listen to the unnerving carry on between the agonised screeches and distant, shredded bellows throughout “V”.

Another thing this band does well is to force its music progressively downward, as if the songs are sinking into quicksand. After “VI” starts with the most restraint that exists anywhere on this release, it eventually descends into a churning sinkhole of a riff that gets lower and lower before closing over to seal out the song’s last glimmer of light.

If that sounds like too much to take, then be warned, there will be no reward for hanging on until the end. “VIII” is about as spiteful and gut-wrenching an insult as you are likely to volunteer to receive. Brutally heavy and antagonistically slow, it makes for a very blunt finish, and demonstrates just how much of a kick these unrepentant, depraved scumbags from England obviously get from trying to terrify people.

There is no middle ground. Grey Widow’s I is going to either repulse you or trap you.

Listen here.

lxp

Sangharsha - Bayou

The members of Sangharsha, originally from Nepal, churn out punishing, dynamic hardcore that is capable of leaving just as many spinning heads as bruises in its wake. Their new release, Bayou (Alerta Antifascista Records) showcases some truly impressive range. Sickeningly heavy percussive blasts that communicate a desperate need to reach for meaning at any cost (as in the beginning of "Muslo") become mired in slow dirges that crawl under the burden of the world's weight (especially in "Aseena").

Sincerity is high on Sangharsha's agenda. As if it isn't apparent from their music, a sweeping statement on their Bandcamp page reads, "the struggle to exist and the struggle to be alive was the sole influence to write and record this record". Sounds like an overwhelmingly expansive concept to reduce to a sole influence, but it's clear that a lot of consideration has gone into creating this music - all the moods reflected in the songs are both well placed and completely believable, including the excursions into more serene territory. For example, the heady intro to "Kachuli" is unsettling enough to welcome the song's lumbering attack, which in turn eventually retreats back to a place that might resemble the scene in the cover art.

But yes, this is predominantly an exercise in demolition of the downtuned, metallic variety (no prizes for guessing that Kurt Ballou and Brad Boatright are involved). However, in places Sangharsha add a hint of Breach or Botch to the usual Entombed/Converge influences. They very effectively meld engaging melodies into their noise-heavy approach without diluting its impact (as in the title track), and along with some clever changes, including a few unexpected u-turns between riffs, the songs are kept interesting while being given an overall sense of cohesion.

Bayou is a great example of what can happen when bands take the time to think about what they are doing and pour themselves into it.

It looks like there is no physical release until June, but Bayou is available digitally on Bandcamp. Also see Sangharsha's bio at Alerta Antifascista for more info.

lxp

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

Stone Dagger
Those that enjoyed Magic Circle's awesome self-titled debut last year will probably stoke on Stone Dagger. Pretty sure it's the same very talented members as Magic Circle, but Stone Dagger play a more traditional heavy metal style. "Black Clad Rider" is probably my fave of the two tracks.
Bandcamp

Albino Python
Thanks to my cohort Alex for putting me onto Albino Python, as I never would have checked out a band with such an atrocious name. The music is what's important and AP deliver on all fronts - crushing heavy doom with great vocals, which one minute sound like The Wounded Kings, the next like a possessed witch, but they totally hold their own. I read a review that compares them to Acid King but I think it is a bit more diverse than Acid King's stoner leanings. I found The Doomed and the Damned catchy from the first listen and was pretty surprised to find out they are a two-piece. Great effort.
Bandcamp

Lizzard Wizzard 
I've decided to try to include an Australian band in each post from now on. Opening up is another band with a "special" name, Lizzard Wizzard, who prove along with Zodiac (Bandcamp), that Brisbane isn't just full of shitty deathcore bands. LW deliver dirty, downtuned stoner doom with raw vocals, great song titles - "Dogs Die in Hot Cars" and "Total Handjob Future" (top riff) - and a killer Game of Thrones cover, "Game of Cones". I get the impression these dudes are pretty young and, if so, this is a very good debut.
Bandcamp

Gig of the Week
With Heavy Heart: Kurt's Birthday Bash
Law of the Tongue are making a comeback at Kurt's Birthday bash at the Basement on Saturday night, 8 February. Other bands playing are The Veil, Tortured, Claret Ash, Mephistopheles, Summonus, Hematic, CHUD, Sorathian Dawn.
Facebook

Videos of the Week
Slomatics - "Troglorite", from their new album Estron: YouTube
Flesh Parade - New Orleans grinders' first show with Jason Pilgrim in many years: YouTube

Playlist: Unkle K
1. Status Quo - 12 Gold Bars
2. Pregnancy - Demo
3. Albino Python - The Doomed and the Damned
4. Ancestors - In Dreams and Time
5. Abandon - In Reality We Suffer

Playlist: lxp
1. Wooden Shjips - Back to Land
2. Obliterations - The Hole
3. King Diamond - The Complete Roadrunner Collection 1986-1990
4. Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike) - S/T
5. Sewers - Hoisted

Unkle K

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

Pregnancy
Once again Melbourne/Victoria delivers the goods with a great goregrind band. I'd love to have just one band that plays this style in Canberra. Formed from the bowels of Ballarat band Meth Mouth and featuring drum tart Christoph (Roskopp, Doubled Over, Internal Rot), this five track demo visits the classic goregrind sound of the early 2000s. Highly recommended if you like it gurgly.
Bandcamp

In Solitude
Lots of top 10s for 2013 featured Beastmilk's Climax, which unfortunately I have not been able to get into due to the Joy Division-sounding vocals and its complete lack of rocking elements. In Solitude from Sweden have tried something similar, leaving behind the more classic metal style for a more gothic rock approach. It works for me. The vocalist's range is awesome - he has left behind the slight Mercyful Fate style and at times now reminds me of Garm (Arcturus) or ICS Vortex (Borknagar, Arcturus, Dimmu Borgir) in places.
Sister: YouTube
"To Her Darkness" (video from 2012 release): YouTube 

Gig of the Week

This friday night The Levitation Hex hit the Basement, with support from a rejuvinated Dreadnaught (Vic), tech death heads Hadal Maw (Vic) and grinders Wretch, featuring new vocalist Benji (Law of the Tongue).

Playlist: Unkle K
1. Pregnancy - Demo
2. Doomriders - Grand Blood
3. In Solitude - Sister
4. The Shrine - Primitive Blast
5. Iron Monkey - Ruined By Idiots

Playlist: lxp
1. Carousel - Jeweler's Daughter
2. Enforcer - Diamonds
3. Weekend Nachos - Still
4. Lantern - Rock 'N' Roll Rorshach
5. Jesuit - Discography
6. Cosmic Psychos - Blokes You Can Trust (DVD)

Unkle K

Cacophemisms' 2013 lists

The white noise created by countless year-end lists has faded. Nonetheless, Cacophemisms and some of our friends have a few more contributions to make. 2013 was packed full of great music and it's safe to say that narrowing these picks down was more difficult than most/all of us expected. If you're reading this, hopefully you might find something you want to look into further. We also invite you to help us give a final blast to the din of subjective opinion and add your lists in a comment on this post.

Cheers!
___

lxp

1. Magic Circle - S/T
From the cathartic doom fuelled riffs that break into triumphant NWOBHM inspired flourishes to Q’s thumping drums that lead mightily from the front. From the striking emotional weight of Brendan Radigan’s vocal delivery to the irresistible pull of the recording’s raw, direct, live feel. Magic Circle’s debut album overflows with a special quality that makes you want to relive every moment as soon as it passes by. Months later, as the final lick of closer “Magic Circle/Cloven in Two” fades out, it’s still a struggle not to flip the record over and start again - to have one more scratch at the itch that spread with the first bite inflicted by the galloping verses of “Rapture”.

2. Northless - World Keeps Sinking
With more time to take in the behemoth that is World Keeps Sinking since my review in September, I am no less impressed by it. When the album’s devastating magnitude becomes less intimidating and the songs’ construction becomes more familiar, the details hidden in every corner continue to reveal themselves. It’s the unconventional, sometimes jarring, sometimes uplifting touches that really begin to stand out, keeping the entire album interesting and keeping Northless well ahead of the pack. Brilliant.

3. Agrimonia - Rites of Separation
The first time I heard the intro to “Talion” being savagely torn apart by the explosive verse, I wanted to destroy everything in sight. Agrimonia completely nailed their approach to epic, metallic crust with Rites of Separation, creating an incendiary, dynamic record that is massive in both sound and scope. While the album ebbs and flows, its percussive, driving force imposes a fevered intensity that sears throughout its five howled testimonies to humanity’s dislocation at its own hands.

4. Vhol - S/T
Vhol spew forth an awesomely maniacal blend of thrash, prog, black and power metal, drawing from Voivod, Celtic Frost and even Discharge to create a wonderful, mesmerising racket that defies simple description. Pulsing, tremolo picked basslines and supercharged drumming underpin some stupefying, wildly inventive guitar work. And Yob’s Mike Scheidt tops it all off with his inimitable subterranean growls, scratchy, cavernous vibrato and everything between.

5. Earthless - From the Ages
The latest chapter of Earthless’ psychedelic shred freak-out adventures truly delivers. Containing all the thrills and spills you would expect, From the Ages hangs on to some more straightforward grooves than their other albums do, offering more places to jump on board and enjoy the ride. This is definitely going to remain on high rotation throughout the summer. And the cherry on top: Earthless and The Shrine are playing here in Canberra on New Year’s Day at the Basement.

6. Orchid - The Mouths of Madness
At first, I dismissed Orchid as another pointless Sabbath rip-off. Wrong. Eventually, Through the Devil’s Doorway turned me, and by the time I got through The Mouths of Madness, I was fully converted. Orchid take ownership of what they borrow. You just can’t argue with the stellar songwriting, the perfectly muted heaviness, or the dark but catchy wailing vocal melodies that carry equally well in moments of soaring, classic hard rock glory and blurry-eyed, lava lamp-lit interludes.

7. Phantom Glue - A War of Light Cones
This seems to have slipped by with little recognition, which is a shame because Phantom Glue’s distinctive, hardcore-tinged approach to huge, noisy sludge (with nods to Black Elk and early Mastodon) packs a hefty blow. With A War of Light Cones, the band created a brutal but clever, charismatic, bass-heavy monster with rough, distorted vocals and effective, sparing use of screaming guitar lines and solos. A great album that is well worth checking out if you missed it.

8. Cloud Rat - Moksha
Moksha is an outstanding offering of thrashy, melodic grindcore that isn’t afraid to let its emotions wander into more diverse territory, as in the wistful beginnings of “Infinite Chasm”. But the scathing and the nightmarish dominate, with the ferocious attack of the vocals and drums projecting most of the wrath. The guitar is sometimes buried, but the effect is that its distant melodies actually draw you in closer so Cloud Rat can go straight for your face.

9. The Black Angels - Indigo Meadow
I had never heard the Black Angels before this year, and I’m very glad that a couple of mates alerted me to the band’s haunting psychedelic rock, which conjures Neil Young, the Doors and Black Mountain. I absorbed three of their four albums concurrently - their debut, Passover was the shining light. But even though 2013’s Indigo Meadow is more subdued, it contains some fantastic moments and a compelling, subtly sinister weirdness that keeps me going back.

10. Hydromedusa - The Rats Have My Mind
It’s only a three-song cassette, but I couldn’t leave the latest from Adelaide’s Hydromedusa out of this list. They toned down the Eyehategod influence on this release, focusing more heavily on channelling Buffalo and AC/DC. They also stripped back some of the complexity apparent on their self-titled EP in order to crank out wild, raucous, sludgy rock ‘n’ roll that I really hope to see on stage some time soon.

Honourable mentions:
Agents of Abhorrence - Relief
Czarface (Inspectah Deck/7L & Esoteric) - S/T
Noisem - Agony Defined
SubRosa - More Constant than the Gods
Vista Chino - Peace
Windhand - Soma
___

Unkle K

EPs/7"s:

Flesh Police - Demo 2013

The VeeBees - Meet My Middle Finger/Wife School

Undergang - Som Til Din Ligkiste

Corrupt Moral Altar - Whiskey Sierra

Mansion - We Shall Live

Hoax - S/T

Obliterations - S/T

Slomatics - The Future Past

Laser Flames on the Great Big News - Lambs to the Slaughter

Tethered to a Dying Animal - Impermanent

Mother Brain - Straight to Business (2012)

LPs:

Drowning Horse - S/T

Weekend Nachos - Still

Jucifer - За Bолгой для нас земли нет

Windhand - Soma

Orchid - The Mouths of Madness

Kylesa - Ultraviolet

Voivod - Target Earth

Year of No Light - Tocsin

Autopsy - The Headless Ritual

Church of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum

Coffins - The Fleshland

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Control

Magic Circle - S/T

Code Orange Kids - Love is Love/Return to Dust

Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance
Sete Star Sept - Too many 2013 releases to mention

Portal – Vexovoid

To the Point - Shit You Should Have Bought on Vinyl the First Time Around 

Need to listen to these more:

Baptists - Bushcraft
All Pigs Must Die - Nothing Violates this Nature
Black Willows - Haze
14:13 - S/T
Anciients - Heart of Oak
Nightslug - Dismal Fucker
Seven Sisters of Sleep - Opium Morals
Grime - Deteriorate
Biipiigwan - Something for Everyone; Nothing for Anyone
Cult of Luna - Vertikal

TV shows:
Game of Thrones
Ray Donovan
Boardwalk Empire
Eastbound and Down
Orange is the New Black
Magic City
Suits
Top of the Lake
The Americans 
Vikings
___

DB2K

1. Lycus - Tempest
2. Hatred Surge - Human Overdose
3. Society Nurse - S/T
4. Moss - Horrible Night
5. Usnea - S/T
6. Full of Hell - Rudiments of Mutilation
7. Portal - Vexovoid
8. Bone Sickness - Alone in the Grave
9. Primitive Man - Scorn
10. Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius

___

Geoff (Mendicant Music)

1. Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse

2. Krypts - Unending Degradation

3. Dead Can Dance - In Concert

4. Perfume - Level 3

5. Autopsy - The Headless Ritual

6. Obliteration - Black Death Horizon

7. Cultes Des Ghoules - Henbane

8. Lantern - Below

9. Portal - Vexovoid

10. Secret Chiefs 3 - Book Of Souls: Folio A

Honourable Mentions:
Agents Of Abhorrence - Relief
Batillus - Concrete Sustain
Bolzer - Aura
Clagg - Gather Your Beasts
Eardelete - Devilogy
Gruesome Stuff Relish - Sempiternal Death Grind
Hail Of Bullets – III: The Rommel Chronicles
Immolation - Kingdom of Conspiracy
Innumerable Forms/Blessed Offal - Split
Vastum - Patricidal Lust
___

JJ (I Exist/BMA "Metalise")

1. Portal - Vexovoid
2. Church of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum
3. Exhumed - Necrocracy
4. Clagg - Gather Your Beasts
5. Cathedral - The Last Spire
6. Windhand - Soma
7. Kvelertak - Meir
8. Orchid - The Mouths of Madness
9. Solstice - Death’s Crown is Victory

10. Black Sabbath - 13

___ 

Shane (Cutting Hose, Burning Plastic)

1. Beastmilk - Climax

2. The Body - Christs, Redeemers

3. Horisont - Time Warriors

4. Ulcerate - Vermis

5. Weekend Nachos - Still

6. Tombstoned - S/T

7. ASG - Blood Drive

8. Carcass - Surgical Steel

9. Gorguts - Colored Sands

10. Mountain Witch - Cold River

11. Windhand - Soma

12. Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory & Injury

13. Gnaw - Horrible Chamber

14. Big Business - Battlefields Forever

15. Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse

16. True Widow - Circumambulation

17. Obliteration - Black Death Horizon

18. Church of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum

19. Dead in The Dirt - The Blind Hole

20. Obits - Beds & Bugs

Earthless/The Shrine, etc...

Canberra's first show of 2014 is set to be a ripper, with Earthless coming back to the Basement on New Year's Day with The Shrine and Looking Glass. It will definitely be worth pushing through the hangover for this one!
Facebook event page

And with no real connection to the above, here are a couple of links I have been sent to some end of year goodies.

First, a heartwarming little story (cheers Dave) about bands such as ACxDC, Nails and Xibalba doing it for the children at Christmas time: LA Weekly.

And finally, footage of the recently reactivated BL'AST!, now featuring Nick Oliveri in their live lineup, playing in Santa Ana, CA a couple of days ago (thanks Altree): YouTube.

lxp

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

Undergang
Just when I thought I'd totally lost interest in new death metal, along comes Denmark's Undergang with a filthy three track EP. It sounds like the classic Stockholm buzzsaw guitar sound, but crossed with an even heavier goregrind band. They don't rely on speed, preferring to gurgle along with some of the catchiest headbanging tunes I've heard in ages. Backed up with some brilliant artwork, this is a must get.
Bandcamp

Black Willows
I only discovered this band recently from checking top 10 lists for 2013 on the Doom Forever, Forever Doomed forum. The first track I heard from this Swiss band was "Black Magic", which is a trippy sounding track with gongs and triangles. But as bad as that sounds, it was actually pretty good and it seemed to suck me in to listening to the whole album, which totally changes direction from that song. The rest of the album has more of a psychedelic, heavy, melodic vibe with cool deep, crooning vocals.
Bandcamp 

Lecherous Gaze
Lecherous Gaze from Oakland, CA destroyed the Phoenix Bar last Thursday - a great mix of MC5 and Black Flag, with a highly entertaining frontman and one of best guitarists I have had the pleasure of witnessing in a long time. The fact it was a $5 show in the new and improved Phoenix, the support band from Melbourne, Gentlemen, along with Canberra's Hygiene also made for a great night.
Bandcamp

Lecherous Gaze (photo by Gav)

Gig of the Week
With the unfortunate cancellation of the Kylesa show last night, that leaves us with the Melvins/Helmet show at the ANU tonight, Thursday 12 December.

Video of the Week
Who Actually Listens to Black Veil Brides?: YouTube

Playlist: Unkle K
1. Undergang - Søm Til Din Ligkiste
2. Black Willows - Haze
3. Lecherous Gaze - On the Skids
4. 14:13 - S/T
5. Windhand - Soma

Playlist: lxp
1. Bloodmoon - Voidbound
2. Lecherous Gaze - On the Skids (I couldn't agree more with Andy's comments about their show at the Phoenix last week - awesome!)
3. Tombstones - Red Skies and Dead Eyes
4. Black Skies - Circadian Meditations
5. I Exist - From Darkness

Unkle K